Speeding Traffic on Station Road

For many of years local residents have been raising the problem of speeding traffic on Station Road and this issue was raised more than any other during our recent door-to-door survey in the area.

The problem was discussed at a recent meeting of Aylesford Parish Council and we have also held several meetings with the leadership of T&MBC to try and find a solution. The most important people, however, are the local residents. Your input is vital as the wishes of the local community must be taken into consideration before any decisions are made.

In reality, traditional “traffic calming” measures such as speed bumps or chicanes are not practical for Station Road due to the nature of the road and volume of traffic. The constant noise due to larger vehicles moving in low gear, along with added pollution caused by a slower moving traffic, would probably cause as many problems as they solved.

There are, however, several other options we could consider:

(i) Speed Cameras
The deployment of new speed cameras has recently been curtailed following government guidelines, and new units are only being installed on roads where there have been fatalities due to speeding. However, the government is reviewing this policy and it might be an option we can explore. On the negative side, motorists soon learn of their location and are able to slow down before the camera and then speed up again once they have passed.

(ii) Electronic Speed Indicator Displays (SIDs)
These are sensors that measure the speed of passing traffic then illuminate a “slow down” message when a speeding vehicle is identified. They are often a popular measure with residents but their effectiveness can be limited as many of the worst speeders simply ignore the warnings.

(iii) Increased Use of Police Speed Traps
Mobile “radar traps”, run by the police or other suitably qualified people, have been used before and can be effective as motorists are not expecting to see them. However, with limited resources the police cannot afford to mount regular operations and bad habits soon return.

As you can see, each suggestion has it’s good and bad points, and it may be that a combination of the above might be needed in the short term to tackle the problem.
Aylesford Conservatives are keen to work with the local Parish, Borough and County Councils, police AND local residents to try and find a solution.

Before we go any further we would like to hear YOUR views on the best way forward. We have just written to all households on Station Road, Robson Drive, Trewin Close, Heathcote Close and Sedley Close to set out the options and ask for feedback.